Why Me?
by TheInsaneBestFriend
Summary: Elliot had dropped out of his pokemon journey years ago. Now, a new journey is thrust upon him. The ultimate task... babysitting.
1. So It Begins

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm just using pokemon to amuse myself.

Why Me?

Chapter 1

I sighed darkly as I mulled over the conversation that took place fifteen minutes ago. I gnashed the cigarette butt between my teeth in frustration at the new task set before me. "You'd better do it!" My mother had said in her commanding tone. There had to be a way to get out of this. Maybe if I went through the conversation in my mind once more, I could find a loophole hidden in her words.

_"Elliot, I know it's early and all, but I have something I would like to ask of you." She had started her sentence cautiously and I had known immediately I wasn't going to like what she asked. "I mentioned it when we spoke about a month ago that Molly was wanting to start her journey soon." My heart sank and my chest tightened in preparation. Mom wouldn't do this to me, would she? After I had explicitly stated that I was done with the whole pokémon journey spiel, she was not going to ask me to go again. "The thought of her out in the big world alone has me a little worried. Molly doesn't know as much about the world as you did, so I was thinking that" I interrupted her there. There was no way I would follow her around and babysit her while she tried to get badges or competed in contests. Hell, if she was going into the contest world count me out. "I need you to go with her, Elliot." Why couldn't Sarah take her? Why did it have to be me? I had barked at her. "You know full well Sarah cannot take her! Sarah is studying to become a pokémon professor. While you idle around in a pokémon center in Jubilife City! You've been there for weeks, so how about you grow up and do something with yourself!" Her patience was running thin, but I wasn't about to give up yet. Molly surely has a friend who could go with her. A friend was much more enjoyable to travel with than your sibling. Instead of answering my question, she sealed my fate. "Elliot, you'd better do it! You will be in Sandgem by the time Molly and I get there. You will be prepared to take her around Sinnoh until she says she is finished. I will see you in two hours, Elliot. Talk to you then, Goodbye." I slammed the phone onto the receiver in frustration and stalked outside for a cigarette._

I glared at the ground by my feet in disbelief. I was comfortable here, so what did it matter if I had stopped after 4 badges. Did she feel the need to punish me for dropping out? I could get more badges; I just have no desire to put myself through that again. I began to dig around in my pocket for my red lighter and pack of smokes. My hands were shaking as I lit another cigarette. I took a long drag as I attempted to dissolve some of the tension in my body. I tipped my head back against the wall and scowled. "If I leave in forty five minutes I should get there right on time, but I think I'll just happen to run into a complication and disappear." A few scenarios played through my head, but none of them were good enough to get me out of being a babysitter. I puffed furiously and began to pace slowly. More people were beginning to emerge from the buildings around me and I guessed it was around the time to gather my things and wake the beast. I put out my cigarette with the bottom of my shoe and sulked inside. Nurse Lillian was setting up the desk for the day and smiled in my direction. I gave a half wave before I stalked into a short hallway and through the door labeled three.

The room was small, but it suited me just fine. The walls were plain with a small window showing a small grassy area a few yards away. A twin bed was pushed against the wall to make room for the dresser and table with two chairs. Lying on the floor next to the bed was Dakheel, my houndoom. He has a foul temper, but we _usually_ get along fine. I grabbed my backpack from the corner and began to pack the few things spread around the room. "Hey, Dakheel wake up. We have to get moving soon." I didn't get a response from him. I glanced down and he hadn't even opened an eye. "Dakheel, get up." I nudged him with my foot lightly earning a growl. I zipped up my pack and looked down at him darkly. I prodded him once more with my foot, once again receiving a deep, threatening growl. That was two growls. He would be up in a moment, all he needed was one last little push. I pressed my foot against him again and he whirled around wrapping his jaws around my foot growling angrily. "Good morning, Sunshine. Now let go of my foot." He snorted and released the offending limb. He watched me swing my backpack onto my shoulder with discerning eyes. I held the door open and he strode out as I slipped the key out of my pocket and made my way up to Nurse Lillian's desk.

"Good morning, Elliot. Although, you don't seem to be in a very good mood." She frowned slightly as she read my unhappy expression.

"Yeah, morning. Here's my key. I won't be back for a while." I placed the key on the counter and turned towards the door.

"Well that's certainly a surprise. We thought that we would have to put an ashtray out front since you were here so long. Surely leaving is a good thing though, right?" I glanced over my shoulder and just shook my head at her. Slowly, I made my way out into the morning to my doom. Dakheel trotted by my side as we walked to the southern exit in town. I lit another cigarette earning a few looks from passing people. Smoking was not a habit people liked to put up with, but I didn't care at all about them. I kept an eye on the houndoom by my side, sometimes children mistook him for a plaything, and he had nearly bitten more than a few of them. Quick recalls had saved me from a few angry parents, but not all of them. I glared at route 202 before me. I had never dreaded the hour trek to Sandgem Town more than I had in this moment. As if picking up on my mood, Dakheel snorted derisively and shot me a questioning look. I sighed, "Hopefully, Molly will just give up before she starts. Then I can just forget this ever happened or maybe we can find another town to stay in." Dakheel gave no sign of listening, but I continued on anyways, "I've kind of wanted to see Sunnyshore City. We should head that way when we get the chance." We started off onto route 202 and I puffed away hoping some miracle would keep me from making it to Sandgem Town. No such luck.

"Hey! You! Guy with the Houndoom!" I turned to see a young boy waving franticly in my direction. Sure he could be a distraction, but he seemed like more trouble than I felt like dealing with. "Hey, don't ignore me! I want to battle you." I shot a glare in his direction and continued puffing on my cigarette. "You have to come back this way and I will get my battle!" Dakheel looked back for only a moment and snorted. We weren't far from Sandgem so my doom was at hand. I swiped my cigarette against my shoe and tossed the butt into the grass. Dakheel and I stared darkly at the little town before we made our way to the Professor's lab in the middle of Sandgem.

I waited across the street from the lab in the shade of a large oak tree. My mom and sister weren't here yet, how annoying. How long were they going to make me wait? I kept my eye on the route leading to Twinleaf Town because they were surely on their way. Dakheel settled himself against my leg and began to doze off. I pulled my sleeve back and checked my watch, have I really been here for thirty minutes? If they take too much longer I'm leaving. Now seemed like a good time as any to light up a cigarette and puff away furiously. As soon as the cigarette touched my lips my mom and sister appeared on the horizon. "Really?" I was going to hear about my habit from Mom. Her eyes had already zeroed in on the glowing stick hanging from my mouth. Oh yeah, she was not happy with my choice of stress relief. I took a long drag before putting it out and dropping it back into the pack for later. She turned to the curly haired brunette and sent her into the lab before stalking over to me.

"I cannot believe you would pick up _smoking_! That is a horrible way to present yourself to your sister's friend." She was seething and now, so was I.

"What do you mean _friend_? I was only aware of babysitting Molly. Who else is coming along?" My eyes narrowed angrily at her. Dakheel stood and watched us carefully waiting for a command.

"Don't you glare at me! It's not like I am inconveniencing you from sitting around a pokémon center. There are plenty of them all around Sinnoh so get off your high horse and at least act happy." When I said nothing she continued, "You are acting like an ass. Get over it." The sound of approaching footsteps saved me from further verbal attacks. I recognized the little blonde girl as Payton, Molly's childhood friend. Her mother walked over and greeted us lightly, but she was watching us carefully as if she was making sure the argument was actually over.

"So, the day has finally come Karen. Elliot you really have grown into a tall man. You look just like your father." She smiled and looked over at the lab worriedly. "I can't believe she is really going to be leaving." My mom assured her that everything would be fine while I remained silent and brooding. The urge to smoke was rising. "I'm sure you'll take very good care of them, Elliot." Payton's mom was looking straight at me and I wasn't sure exactly what to say for a moment. My mother's glare helped me decide to be polite.

"They'll be fine. After a week or two, I'm sure they won't even want me hovering around." My mom was still watching me and daring me to be rude while Mrs. Louis was around. Mrs. Louis still seemed uncertain it was probably because of the argument she witnessed on the way into town.

"Karen, are you sure they will be okay with Elliot? He doesn't exactly seem like he is raring to go. No offense, Elliot."

"None taken, Mrs. Louis. I'll do what I have to and keep them out of trouble." I shrugged still craving a smoke. The lab's door opened cutting off further conversation. Molly came running out with a Piplup on her shoulder. She squealed in excitement and threw herself at me in a tight hug. I wrapped my arm around her carefully because her Piplup seemed very off balance as it clung to her shoulder with its flippers.

"Elliot! It's been forever since I saw you last! I can't believe that you are going to take me on my adventure. It's gonna be so fun. Payton was excited too! Although she's pretty nervous about being away, but I think she will get over it pretty fast!" Molly was beaming up at me with her big blue eyes and wide smile. She turned towards the lab and released me from her death grip, "She should be coming out soon, because she caught the last bit of the speech Professor Rowan gave me." That wasn't likely. Professor Rowan was very serious about informing new trainers. Payton would be out in a few minutes or so. Molly spun back to our small group and pulled the Piplup into her arms. "Isn't he cute! I was so excited that a Piplup was still here. I even named him! Look!" She held up her pokedex a few inches from my face so I could read his name.

"Cuh-zar… What kind of name is that?"

"Ah, Elliot no! Its Zar. The C is silent."

"Did you just make it up on the spot or something?"

"Well, yeah. I think I heard it somewhere and I thought it would make a great name." Molly hugged Czar excitedly and Czar peeped happily. Mom smiled and agreed that it was a cute name, but I could see her slightly baffled expression. Mrs. Louis merely smiled while watching the lab door for her own daughter. She had heard my opinion, so I didn't say anything else and fought the urge to light a cigarette. The door opened up and Payton brightly skipped over to us with a Chimchar on her head. I couldn't help but notice that she was not dressed for travelling. A pink tank top and a white flouncy skirt made it look more like she was going to the department store than travelling across the region. It was too late in the season for such light clothing, in about two weeks autumn would get here and the days would get cooler. Had her mom even thought about that at all?

"Hi everyone! This is Vahni, my Chimchar." Payton presented the little fire monkey to us and I wondered again, where had that name come from? Instead of commenting I nodded and looked down at Dakheel. He was watching the exchange with little to no interest and I hoped he wouldn't get too interested. Payton hugged her mom in excitement before turning to me and saying, "I'm ready when you are, Elliot."

"Alright, we'll go whenever Molly says goodbye then because I've been ready for a while." Mom shot me a venomous look for that statement. She needed to make up her mind, did she want me to act happy I was going or annoyed?

"Well, I'm ready… so I guess we should… go." Molly hugged mom fiercely and sucked up any tears that tried to escape. Mom turned to me and gave me a look that threatened me with death should anything happen to them. She stepped in close and murmured, "No smoking. Or else." I looked at her for a long moment. It was an empty threat, but I nodded and turned back towards route 202 with Molly and Payton. As we walked the girls were oddly silent, a quick glance revealed them to be looking at their feet lost in thought. "Hey Elliot, where did you catch your houndoom?" The question had caught me off guard and I had to think about it for a moment.

"I'm pretty sure I caught Dakheel at Lake Valor." I looked down at him in thought, it had been so long ago I wasn't entirely sure.

"Dakheel? I think his name is weirder than Czar's name. You shouldn't have said anything." Molly muttered, "But I want to catch one since I'm the only one that doesn't have a fire type."

"I didn't name him, a… friend… did. Also, Houndours and Houndooms tend to have pretty bad tempers. You may think twice about catching one once you get to know Dakheel a little better." I was getting the nagging feeling that I had forgotten something very important.

"He seems to have a good personality." Payton smiled down at Dakheel brightly. Dakheel ignored her with an annoyed look in his eye. I made a note to keep a closer eye on him than usual.

"Yeah, you shouldn't try to scare me out of getting the same kinds of pokémon as you." Molly puffed up her chest and held her head high. "I am going to catch as many pokémon as I can and be unbeatable. Then I'm gonna beat all of the gyms and the pokémon league."

"I don't really want to beat gyms or anything, but I do want to participate in the pokémon contests." A chill slid down my spine at Payton's mention of contests. She had to be kidding.

"Why contests?" I didn't disguise my distaste at all. Molly looked at Payton and shrugged.

"Well, I think that making your pokémon do beautiful things is just wonderful. I want to try to do it to. I'm sure it'll be hard, but I'm determined!" Payton sounded more pumped than before. With this information in my head, I could plan our route and how long we would be in each location. We would be in Hearthome City for a long time. I think it would be better to make a few stops in Hearthome instead of staying for 2 weeks while Payton participated in contests. The gym there was a good reason to stay for an extra day as well. From my experience the gym leader was incredibly… intimidating. I shuddered at the memory.

"We'll stop in Jubilife for an hour or so to get supplies, then we will head East to Oreburgh to hit the gym. We can think more about the routes we take as we finish gyms and contests. Any objections?" I was silent waiting for them to say something in response.

"Why Oreburgh?" Molly asked slowly. Had she looked into the gyms at all, perhaps seen a map lately?

"Well, it's the first gym most people go to. Oreburgh gym is also the closest gym to where we are walking right now." That should hopefully answer her questions.

"Why not battle the Jubilife Gym?" Was Molly being serious? I stopped and looked straight at her for a long moment. "What's that look for? I was just asking."

"Molly, there isn't a gym in Jubilife City." I was thankful that Payton answered for me because I wouldn't have been very nice. Molly blushed bright red in embarrassment. I looked over my shoulder and guessed that we had walked far enough. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cigarettes and lighter. I lit the unfinished one and sighed feeling the stress ebb away.

"Elliot, you shouldn't smoke. It's bad for pokémon and you." Molly said it so quietly I almost ignored her.

"Says who?" It was a very childish thing to say, but I didn't care. I was not going to stop smoking.

"Well, a lot of people do. People on tv, Mom, Dad, and Professor Rowan all do." Molly was frowning in annoyance.

"Well, I'll try not to smoke as much, but I can't guarantee that I will stop completely." That nagging feeling had come back, what was I forgetting? I looked around trying to find the source of the feeling. Seeing nothing, I assumed I was just going crazy a lot sooner than I expected. The most important thing is that Jubilife was visible on the horizon. Molly and Payton began to talk quietly amongst themselves. I caught bits and pieces and it was mostly about how nervous and excited they were and what they would do once they became the best ever. I can remember those days, and I can't truthfully say that I miss them. We crossed into the city limits and I turned to the girls slowly. "We are going to pick up a few things at the pokemart and be on our way. Okay?" They nodded and their excitement level doubled at the mention of shopping. Now on top of feeling like I had forgotten something I had a nagging feeling that this shopping trip wouldn't end well. I lead them to the pokemart not far from the city's center.

As soon as we entered the pokemart the girls disappeared with their pokémon in tow. I scowled darkly. I looked down at Dakheel, "Did you see which way they went?" He looked up at me then loped off towards the shelves of trainer's apparel. "Thank you Dakheel." I stepped past him and was disgusted to find my sister holding up a little skirt nearly identical to the one Payton wore. Shaking my head, I walked over to them ready to fix the situation.

"This skirt is so cute! I want it so bad, but it's a lot of money." Molly was chewing her lip in thought as I stalked over. "Elliot! I love this little skirt, will you buy it for me please?" She pouted up at me as I stared at her incredulously.

It's cruel, but instead of saying no and being done with it I asked, "How much is it?"

"Only 12,000 credits. I'd buy it, but I only have 3,000." Molly was still pouting at me.

"Only." That was half of my savings. Was she stupid or something? "Molly, there's two weeks until autumn, which means you'll freeze within four. You don't need a skirt." Her face fell and I could tell she was wracking her brain for good arguments.

"I'll wear it every day and I won't complain at all! Please, Elliot!" She had on her puppy dog eyes, but I was not going to buy that skirt.

"Generally, if you can't afford it you don't need it. When you can get it with your own money, go ahead and buy it." I turned and strode over to the other side of the store leaving her whining with Payton to console her. I looked over my shoulder, "Whenever you finish whining come over here and pick up your supplies." She sulked over refusing to look at me. Payton examined the counter before us and looked up at me.

"Elliot, what are we supposed to buy here? There's a lot of stuff to choose from." Payton leaned down trying to decide what the best items to buy were.

"What do you have already? Once I know that, I can suggest what else you could need." Payton nodded and turned her pack to look in a side pocket. She pulled out a potion and showed it to me. "Okay, a potion is a good start. Do you have any pokeballs?" She checked a few more pockets and pulled out three pokeballs. Nodding I turned to the cashier, "How about two potions, an antidote, and two pokeballs?" I looked at Payton for consent and she nodded and pulled out her wallet. As Payton paid the cashier and picked up her items I asked the pouting Molly the same thing, what is in your bag? She pulled out five pokeballs and two potions. "Well you have enough pokeballs, so a potion and an antidote." Molly nodded darkly and pulled out her wallet.

"Um… Elliot, what are antidotes for?" Payton asked shyly not looking at me as she fiddled with her backpack strap.

"It cures pokémon that are poisoned. It's very handy to always have one on hand, because so many pokémon know poison type moves, and poison is very painful for a pokémon." She looked up at me and nodded in understanding and I turned to the cashier mentally going over my stock of items in my bags. "I will have two antidotes, four super potions, three pokeballs, and a paralyze heal." I was pretty sure that was all I needed, I will need more pokémon food, but it should last until Oreburgh City. I paid the woman and walked out of the pokemart with the girls lagging behind a little bit.

"I finally found you!" That is what I was forgetting. "You owe me a battle!" I looked over at the kid from before who stood panting like he had run a few good miles to get here, which may not be far from the truth.

"How about this, you beat her-"I thrust my thumb in Molly's direction and heard her squeak in surprise. "And then, I'll battle you." The kid stared at Molly for a long moment.

"She seems pretty weak so okay. I'll battle her." Molly glared at him for being called weak. "How about we go to route 218 west of the city to battle?" That was a good place even if it was in the opposite direction we were going. The kid yelled in excitement and ran over to the western gate.

"Molly, how much do you know about battling?"

"Well… nothing really."

"Nothing? Ugh… well, I guess you have to start somewhere. Where's your pokedex?" She pulled her pokedex out of her backpack and flipped it open. "Hit the big button, then the bottom left- your other left and it will show you the attacks Czar knows." She nodded and looked at the list very seriously. We strode through the gate while the kid chattered on about how he couldn't wait to battle me.

On the otherside of the gate was an open area perfect for a quick battle. I walked to the middle of the area and turned to Molly, "Go stand on that side." I pointed and then turned to the kid, "And you…"

"Jared." He supplied.

"Jared, you go to the other side. I will kind of referee this battle. As the challenged Molly get's to decide how many pokémon will be used and seeing as she only has one pokémon, it will be one pokémon each." I strode out of the way and called, "Begin!" Molly swung her arm out in an obnoxiously wide gesture calling out Czar. The piplup jumped from her shoulder into the middle of the ring looking pumped up. Jared reached onto his belt and threw a pokeball revealing a Kricketot.

"Elliot, what is that?" Molly called from her end of the battlefield.

"It's a bug, you'll see a lot of these so get used to battling them."

"Okay then, Czar use Pound!" the piplup sprang into action bringing its flipper down hard onto the Kricketot's head. "Kricketot use Growl!" A deep growl slid from the kricketot's small body and Czar took a few steps back unsure of exactly what to do in response. "It's okay Czar, use pound again!" As the piplup rushed forward flipper raised Jared yelled, "Kricketot use Bide!"I frowned knowing where this was going. The kricketot stood very still and locked its eyes on Czar and began to wait. Czar pounded its flipper down onto the kricketot's little head and jumped back to dodge a counter attack. "Good job Kricketot! Just keep on using Bide." Molly made a face, "But it hasn't _done_ anything! Czar use pound again!" The piplup jumped forward beating the kricketot again. "Alright Kricketot now should be good, Unleash all that energy!" The kricketot began to glow and he slammed his entire body into Czar, throwing the piplup a few feet into the air and landing at Molly's feet. "Ah Czar! Are you okay?" Czar fought to stand on his shaking feet. "Hah! That was surprisingly effective. Kricketot use Bide again." Molly bit her lip in thought and I lit up a cigarette while I waited. "Czar use growl!" The penguin growled fiercely at the bug sitting incredibly still a few feet away.

"Hey Elliot, what is that?" I turned and looked at a Glameow watching the battle from the cover of the tall grass.

"It's a normal type cat pokémon. You can catch it if you want to."

"Really? Okay, how do I do that!" I had to wonder if either of these girls had watched the trainers on tv or that came through twinleaf town.

"Well first you battle it to weaken it. Then you throw a pokeball." She nodded enthusiastically and sent Vahni over to the cat.

"Okay Vahni, use scratch!" Vahni bounded forward lightly and raked its short claws across the glameow's side. The glameow puffed up its fur and hissed while swatting at the fire monkey. "Good job Vahni, now use scratch just try not to get hit by its scratch attack." Vahni jumped in again and the Glameow bounded into him smacking him with its paws. Vahni flinched slightly and stumbled back. "Don't worry Vahni! Use scratch again." I was ready to beat my head in. These two battles consisted of everyone using the same move. I ran my hand through my short black hair and watched Jared use Bide for the fourth time. His Kricketot was looking really worn out, too much more and it would faint. Czar was holding up now that it had gotten a second wind. I turned to look at the glameow and stopped Payton from ordering another scratch. "You can throw the ball now, it can't take another hit." Payton reached into her bag and pulled out a pokeball. She expanded it with a click of a button and threw it. The ball hit the ground and rolled into the Glameow before sucking it into the ball with a glowing beam. Payton excitedly ran over to the ball as it locked with a loud click.

"Kricketot just use one more bide!" Jared was beginning to get frustrated. "Czar use pound! I'm sure it'll just be one more hit!" Czar pounded the kricketot once more and fell onto its butt panting. Jared's kricketot fell backwards into a dead faint. Molly cheered brightly and scooped Czar up into her arms completely oblivious to the boy across from her trying to hand her a few bills.

"Molly, Jared is trying to give you something." I called over her excited cheers. She stopped and looked at Jared with a very confused look on her face.

"What's this for?" She looked at the money suspiciously and slowly took it from him.

"I lost, so I have to pay you a small portion of my savings." Jared was looking at her strangely, "Don't you know anything about pokémon battling?" Molly blushed and turned away without answering. Jared shook his head and started walking away. "Well I guess I gotta take Kricketot to the pokémon center, so I'll see you guys around." Jared slipped through the gate and left us alone once again.

"Alright let's head to the pokémon center and heal up Czar and Vahni so we can head towards Oreburgh. If we leave soon we should be there by evening." The girls nodded brightly and ran ahead of me into Jubilife City to the pokémon center. I looked down at Dakheel by my side, "You know, it makes me wonder if I was that stupid when I first started. I would ask if you about it, but you weren't around until a little later and I'm sure Analise loves me too much to tell the truth." Dakheel looked up at me and started towards Jubilife without me. I frowned and followed after them. This was going to be an interesting journey. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it, but at least it would be interesting.


	2. Not The Best Day

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

Chapter 2

We had been travelling along route 203 for a few hours and my patience was thinning. Molly insisted that we stop and battle every trainer or wild pokémon on the way. At this rate, we wouldn't make it to Oreburgh until late this evening. I looked over as Czar bubbled a Bidoof and knocked it out. "Do you think we can actually try to get to Oreburgh now? It'll be too late to eat if we don't get a move on." I checked my watch and scowled, "It's already noon. We should have hit Mount Coronet by now." I stalked off the road and began to rummage through my bag in search of the pokémon food. The girls followed after me unsure of what I was doing.

"Um, Elliot? If you're so worried about getting to Oreburgh, why are we stopping?" I had to wonder if Molly was hungry at all. I said nothing and pulled out the good sized container of pokémon food. Another quick look revealed that I had forgotten the bowls in my old room at the pokémon center, which wasn't a bad thing it just made keeping the food together a little more difficult. "Elliot?"

"Send out your pokémon, we are taking a quick break." I released my four pokémon from their pokeballs and set to work serving them all food. Analise, my grotle, gets two scoops because she is so large. I dreaded the day she evolved and needed at least twice that. My staravia, Quinn gets one scoop because he would play with the food if I gave him too much. Lennox got a scoop and a half because the Luxio seemed to always be moving and burned off the food much more quickly than the others. Dakheel wasn't a glutton but I had found a scoop and a half kept him in a relatively good mood longer than one. I glanced at the new three… five mouths to feed and had to judge. Czar was very small so he would be fine with half a scoop, same with Vahni. Olivia I was unsure, glameows were incredibly evil if they felt slighted. I shook my head and gave her a little over half and would give her more if she needed it. The pokémon were all fed, so I reached into my bag and pulled out a few sandwiches wrapped in plastic that I took from the breakfast bar in the pokémon center. "I'd rather not stop again if we can help it. The pokémon center puts the food away at seven."

"Do you really think it will take us seven hours to get to Oreburgh?" Payton pulled out her map and studied it for a moment. "This route doesn't look very long at all."

"Route 203 is pretty short if you don't stop every few feet to battle." I shot Molly a look, but she was too busy eating her sandwich to notice. "However, Mount Coronet is a big place and it's really easy to get lost." Payton nodded and began to stroke Olivia's fur as she thought.

"Ah Elliot, your pokémon is so cute!" I looked at Molly who was looking a short ways away at a pokémon sitting against a tree. That's certainly not my pokémon, and I told her so. "It's not? So, I can catch it then!" Molly jumped to her feet and called her piplup to her side. "I'll just do exactly what you said earlier Payton, battle and weaken it."

"No, just throw the ball. Abras don't stick around to battle. It'll teleport away before you can get an attack in." Molly scowled at me.

"Is that why you don't have one? Hah, I'll catch it and have something that you don't." Molly puffed up her chest and grabbed a ball from her bag. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't have an Abra because they aren't very useful until they evolve. I hadn't had the patience to work with one back then. Molly threw the ball with a yell, and it hit the ground and bounced into the Abra's lap sucking the pokémon in with a red light. We watched it wobble for a moment and click as the lock fell into place. "Yeah! Now I have two pokémon to!" She bolted over and picked up the ball grinning like a madwoman. "I bet you'll be so awesome when I use you in your first battle." I shook my head as I began to clean up. Analise followed beside me and leaned against me whenever I stopped to pick anything up.

"I'd check its moves before you decide that." Molly shot me a look that promised pain, but pulled out her pokedex.

"What does teleport do?" Exactly what it sounds like. "When does Vyomini learn a new move, Elliot?" I nearly tripped over Lennox as I stared at her in shock. Just why? I might have been imagining it, but Dakheel seemed just as confused by the name as I was. He was staring straight at Molly in a way that just seemed to say 'what the hell?'

"Vyomini? Really Molly?" She huffed and stamped her foot in response, loosely translating to answer my question. "It will learn a new move whenever it evolves." She glared at me sharply.

"She. Don't call her an it."

"I'm sorry, the strange name you pulled out of the air threw me off." She muttered something under her breath that I didn't quite catch. "_She_ is kinda difficult to use right now, but if you'll stop acting like a stupid child, I'll see what I can do to help. Now, gather your stuff we need to get moving." We didn't have to wait long because Molly hadn't gotten anything out of her bags.

"So, what _can_ you do to help?" Molly refused to look up at me and kept her gaze firmly on the ground at her feet.

"Well, I have some TM's in my bag from travelling around, also the pokemart in Oreburgh may have a useful TM there." I doubted they would have anything all that great though.

"Where do you find TM's at? Aren't they kind of expensive to leave lying around?" Payton asked with a curious frown on her face.

"Sometimes people drop them on accident, sometimes on purpose. Not every TM is useful to the pokémon you have." I looked ahead and was relieved to see Mount Coronet looming ahead of us. "And, strangely enough, sometimes skilled trainers leave TMs lying around to help younger trainers."

"Have you ever left something for younger trainers?" Payton asked, but both girls looked incredibly curious. Should I disappoint them or should I lie?

"No, I'm really not a _skilled_ trainer. I like to keep TMs because they can be very useful to me later if I get another pokémon who could use it." They were both frowning. They would get over it. If I was a skilled trainer I wouldn't be in this mess, but if I had been, would they have been able to leave for their adventure? I didn't dwell on that for very long, otherwise I might start to be nice to them all the time. I thought about that possibility, it wasn't likely, Molly's attitude was really starting to bother me and I would surely snap at her sooner or later. We walked on in silence for a while and I smoked cigarettes to pass the time. I had just lit up my ninth one when Molly had decided she'd had enough.

"Czar use bubble! Put that cigarette out!" The large bubble hit me squarely and put out my cigarette, but it also soaked me to the bone. "Just stop smoking! It's gross." Molly was scowling at me and Payton was nodding in agreement. I was beginning to hate these girls. I continued on and dug into my jacket pocket pulling out my soaked pack. I was pissed. Every last one was ruined. The last bit of this trek would not be pleasant. Now that I was unable to distract myself, we seemed to be walking painfully slow. I lengthened my stride to my normal walk, making the girls have to try to keep up. They seemed okay with the new pace for about half an hour, then I began to hear quiet complaints as they chattered back and forth. As if he could sense my mood, Dakheel growled darkly at anything that came within a few yards of our group.

"Hey Elliot, do you think you could slow down a little? Our feet are really starting to hurt." That wasn't my fault, they wore stupid shoes. When I didn't answer she continued, "You seriously aren't mad because I soaked you, you're dry now so, whatever." I stopped short and turned to them. I pulled out my ruined pack of cigarettes and held them up to Molly's face.

"You owe me fifteen hundred credits." I turned back around and continued walking. "I'm nice enough to come along, I didn't have to come you know. I could have disappeared and left you both in Twinleaf. I'm here looking after you, the least you could do is allow me to smoke."

"Well what if we don't want you here? Maybe you should just leave us alone and go smoke so much you die." Molly was stamping her feet as she walked. She was just as mad as I was. "I don't owe you anything because you didn't have to come."

"Can we please stop fighting?" Payton was holding Vahni close to her chest. We were making her nervous. I stopped talking, I didn't need to make this worse.

"So, you're all quiet. I guess that means I win and you can just go away."

"I won't unless you seriously tell me to, but I will warn you. Once you tell me to leave, make sure that's what you want because I won't be back." Molly opened and closed her mouth a few times unsure of what to say. We fell back into an uncomfortable silence as my urge to smoke grew with each step. With no more complaints about feet, we continued with my pace to the end of the route.

I stopped outside of Mount Coronet and released all my pokémon, "We'll take a quick break. You don't have to release your pokémon, I just like to." I sat down and leaned heavily against a rock. Analise settled against my side and we watched Lennox spring up trying to smack Quinn with his paws. Quinn would swoop down and change direction quickly, throwing Lennox off balance. It was a strange game, but it kept the Luxio from being bored. A bored Lennox always meant trouble. Dakheel was sitting a few feet off of the path seeming to keep watch. He was much more likely to be plotting my next injury though. We sat for forty five minutes and I decided that we should get moving. When I stood I looked over and saw that Molly and Payton had both dozed off in the grass. I shook my head and gave them a few more minutes to nap. "Hey, wake up. Once we get to Oreburgh you can sleep all you want." The girls didn't move. "Lennox. Wake them up." Lennox looked up from his rocky perch at his new prey. His tail twitched in warning and I turned to face the entrance of Mount Coronet as they screamed in surprise.

"What was that for? You could have just told us to get up like any normal person would!" Molly put her hand on her chest and sighed. "That scared me so bad."

"I think next time I'll get up when I hear you." Payton was blushing, "I heard you, but I didn't really feel like getting up. I thought you might go away if I didn't move." She cleared her throat and made a face, "Guess I was wrong." I nodded in response. With the girls up we could move on. The large cave loomed before us, I looked around for a tree branch or something that might give us light for a while. Analise shook her branches and threw a few leaves into a large tree nearby, easily cutting down a thick branch from the middle of the tree. I held the end of the branch in front of Dakheel and he lit it without a command. I recalled all of my pokémon including Dakheel, I didn't even want the chance of being separated from them. "Should I keep Vahni out since his fire could help with light?" Payton looked up at the Chimchar who was chattering to the piplup on Molly's shoulder.

"Do what you want, I just know that my pokemon aren't too useful in the dark and Analise doesn't like the fire." I made my way into the mountain as I spoke. Molly and Payton followed closely behind me, probably because I had a big torch to light the darkness and they had a little fire monkey's ass. The zubats flying around in the darkness were unnerving and the girls stayed silent adding to the creepy factor. I stopped when we came to a fork in the cave both ways were too dark to see very far, but one way had the sound of a large amount of zubats screeching. I chose the path without the Zubats, they didn't like light so it was more likely that the exit was to the right. I could hear the girls struggling to keep up on the rocky cave floor, so I slowed a bit to keep track of them. We didn't need a twisted ankle.

We didn't get far when a Zubat screeched and swooped into the torch, throwing it from my hands and into the darkness. Molly and Payton screamed attracting more zubat to our location. I couldn't see the zubat that hit me in the gut throwing me to the ground. With the wind knocked out of me all I could do was gasp and try to tell them to shut up. An abrupt silence made me look around, where were they? I sat up there was only darkness around me. I wheezed hoping they could hear me. If they heard me they didn't respond. I stood carefully and looked again, a flickering glow not far from me was a refreshing sight. If I had the torch they could see me before I saw them. It wasn't far away, but I stepped carefully to avoid twisting my ankle. I circled the rock and found not a torch, but a fire monkey. "Vahni! Are you alright? Did you see which way Molly and Payton went?" He looked up at me while rubbing his head and slowly shook his head. I frowned there was no sign of them. Oh yeah, nothing will happen to them… only I'll lose them in a big ass cave. "Come on, let's see if we can find them." I held out my hand and Vahni climbed up my arm. His flame wasn't very bright, but it showed enough to keep me from being blind. Why was the cave so silent? I couldn't even hear the zubats anymore. I could not lose them on the first day. My head was beginning to ache, probably because I wanted a cigarette. I would have to find the girls as soon as possible.

I wandered through the cave for what seemed like hours. The fear that the zubats would react again kept me from calling out. I frowned, Dakheel was a dark pokémon, but he probably wouldn't want to help me search for them. My only other option was Lennox. I grabbed his ball and released him. He appeared and looked around confused. "Lennox, we need to find Molly and Payton. They are in this cave somewhere and I can't call out to them. See if you can find them, if you can't I'll send in Dakheel to help you." The Luxio flicked his tail in annoyance before bounding off into the darkness. The little cat was not fond of Dakheel at all. Hopefully, it'll keep Lennox motivated.

I kept moving until I felt paws press against my thigh. I looked down to see Lennox with an excited look in his eye. He had found them. "Lead on." He turned and sprang back the way he had come. I hurried behind him hoping neither of the girls were hurt. He led me through twisting tunnels until he stopped short and began to crawl across the floor to a small hollow in a cave wall. I could hear the Zubats above me and waited until I heard a soft squeak that was unmistakably Molly's voice. Lennox appeared again and pulled Molly out of the hollow by her jacket sleeve. A screech made me look up, a zubat swooped down towards the pair and I scowled at it, "Lennox, spark." He released her sleeve and his body began to crackle with electricity. Lennox threw himself into the air and collided with the oncoming zubat. The bat pokémon fell to the floor unconscious and Lennox pushed the girls in my direction. Once they saw Vahni's glow they hurried without Lennox's assistance. Molly and Payton attached themselves to me and began to cry. Totally uncomfortable with this position, I awkwardly patted them on the head. "Okay, we really need to get out of here, so can you hold off the crying until we are outside? Lennox can you find the exit?" Lennox bounded off again without even looking back.

"W-we knew you wouldn't leave us here." Molly sniffled and I examined her carefully, she didn't appear to be hurt.

"Er… yeah. Are either of you hurt?" They shook their heads and cuddled their pokémon. Vahni looked incredibly happy to be back in Payton's arms again. It had only been a short separation, but they both looked ecstatic. Lennox appeared and yowled to get my attention. "Alright, he's found the exit, so let's get out of here." Lennox kept close enough to see, but we never caught up to him either. Finally, the cave began to light up. We tailed Lennox around a corner and the bright outside lay before us. Molly and Payton threw themselves out onto the dirt and screamed in excitement. I looked over my shoulder into the cave, why had the zubat been acting so strangely? Sure they were a nuisance, but they had never deliberately attacked people before.

"Hey Elliot! Is that Oreburgh! Why didn't you tell me it looked like that much fun?" Molly was waving her hands in excitement and I looked down to Oreburgh City to see what she was talking about. The roads were lit up by colorful lamps and stalls were swarmed with people. Weren't we lucky, there was a festival going on.

"Looks like a festival or something."

"It looks like a lot of fun, can we spend some time at the festival Elliot?" Payton looked up at me endearingly and I sighed.

"Well we can't challenge the gym leader until tomorrow anyways so go ahead. My only rule is if you eat make sure you feed your pokémon first." The girls were nodding in excitement.

"Thank you Elliot! Come on Payton let's go see what's all at the festival!" Molly grabbed Payton's arm and they ran down into the mass of people disappearing almost immediately. I looked down at Lennox, now that it was light enough to get a good look at him I could see scratches and cuts from the zubats all over him. I grabbed a super potion and sprayed his wounds.

"Thank you Lennox, I probably wouldn't have found them if you hadn't helped me out." Lennox purred as I scratched him behind the ears. I checked my watch and the dinner buffet was surely going to be closed by the time I got there. "Let's get something to eat, you deserve it." He rubbed against my leg and I recalled him and followed the girls' path into the people looking for a place to eat that wasn't too crowded. I had looked for a while and decided on a corner café with a few tables set on an outdoor porch. I settled into the corner table and released my pokémon where I could keep an eye on them. Analise was too big to go anywhere but the corner of the café and the porch. She didn't seem to mind the small quarters, but I shifted the table and chairs to give her a little more room. Quinn took his place on the back of a chair and Lennox took his place in a chair. Dakheel sat on the floor next to me. I glanced over the menu sitting in the middle of the table for a short moment.

A young waitress walked over to me and pulled a pad out of her pocket. "What'll you have this evening?" She pulled her pencil from behind her ear and smiled brightly at me.

"I'll have a water for the moment, and one sweet, two bitter, and one spicy pokémon food, please." The waitress nodded and disappeared into the café to place my order. I could immediately tell that Lennox was growing bored just by looking at him, his tail was twitching and he was watching mundane things with too much interest. I shook my head and looked at the menu again, they had typical food like burgers and sandwiches so it wasn't hard to pick what I wanted. There was some movement to my left as Lennox sprang from his chair and bolted towards the crowd of people, I jumped to my feet only having time to yell, "Lennox!" before Dakheel snatched the Luxio up by the scruff and carried him back to my table dropping him at my feet. I looked at the Luxio and sighed. "I swear you'll be the death of me Lennox." Lennox merely purred in response. "Thank you Dakheel." The houndoom snorted and snapped at the Luxio's claws that were swatting at his face. The waitress chose this moment to appear with the food. Lennox leapt into his chair like he had done nothing wrong and dug into his spicy food. I passed the bitter food down to Analise and over to Quinn. Then Dakheel got his sweet food. She placed my water before me and smiled.

"Have you decided what you would like to eat?" I nodded

"I'll just have a hamburger and fries please. Everything on it." The waitress scribbled down my order and walked off again. I leaned back in my chair and sipped on the water. The people passing by didn't even look my way. I kept my eyes out for Molly and Payton, but I wasn't sure I'd see them if they were standing a few feet away. I reached down and scratched Dakheel behind his horns lightly. Once Lennox had finished his food I recalled him to avoid another leap towards the crowd. Quinn ruffled his feathers and settled himself down for some sleep, I recalled him as well. Analise was content sitting next to me, I knew she wouldn't wander off so she was easy to sit with. I frowned, how long have I been waiting for my food? I checked my watch, and thought about my lack of cigarettes. I was going to need one very soon because my head was really beginning to pound. Dakheel growled in warning to a familiar figure.

"Is this seat taken?" Before I could answer, my new dining partner sat down across from me.

"Do what you want." I shrugged lightly, "It's been a while, Roark." He grinned at me.

"A few years I think, mostly your fault. You never came back to visit." He leaned back in his chair comfortably.

"I've been… busy. I didn't expect you to be around, can I ask why I'm the lucky festival guest this evening?" I asked sarcastically and nudged Dakheel with my foot to make him stop growling. It only changed his focus to me. "What is this festival even for?"

"Well, you have this asshole-ish air that makes you the ideal person to sit with." He sat up a little straighter and glanced around, "My mother is around here looking for me. She has arranged a date or something. As for the festival, it's celebrating the opening of the mine and the founding of this town many years ago." I shook my head.

"So… I am your pick because I'm an asshole that people don't want to approach so you can avoid a date?" He nodded. "I'm not sure that I mind."

"It's hard to mind when it's the truth, Elliot." Roark snorted derisively. "How have you and Caroline been? Are you two as close as ever?" I went ridged.

"Er… no, we don't travel together anymore." I muttered and took a drink from my glass. Roark didn't pursue the subject, although he raised a brow in question.

"What brings you back to Oreburgh?" He waved his hand in a grand gesture towards the festival. "After all you've been gone for like… 4 years."

"I'm babysitting. Mom couldn't trust my sister, so here I am keeping her in check." I shook my head in disgust. "I can _hardly_ believe it." The waitress reappeared with my food and got a drink order for Roark allowing us to continue our conversation uninterrupted.

"The _great_ Elliot a babysitter? Hah! I'm sure you were thrilled to hear the news."

"Oh yes. _Ecstatic._" Roark grinned brightly and I had the urge to punch him in the mouth. "So, who's your mom setting you up with? She must be pretty horrifying for you to seek my company." Roark went completely still and looked around again as if he was a fugitive just waiting for the police to arrive at any moment.

"She's pretty I guess. I just don't really think it'll work out." I made a motion for him to elaborate and he hesitated to do so. "Er… well… I'm not exactly… interested… in dating… women." He looked at me sheepishly, I imagined his face was very red because he was admitting that he was gay to someone he barely knew, but it was too dark to tell. I merely shrugged.

"Well I guess it won't work then, does your mom know?" He shook his head. "Maybe you should tell her?" He shook his head again. "Well you can't hide here forever." I looked out in the crowd and could make out Molly looking into the porch and waving franticly. I scowled and bit into the burger. I was beginning to enjoy myself and she appears. What could she possibly want?

"I can at least hide here until my date has gone home."

"Well, I can't sit here because my charge is desperately trying to get my attention from a few feet away." Roark turned in his chair to see Molly waving more furiously than before. She was beginning to attract odd looks from the crowd.

"Shouldn't you go and see what is wrong?" He looked at me with genuine curiosity and I just shook my head.

"I'm not getting up just yet, I need to finish my food first." I kept eating knowing that she would reach her limit sooner or later and charge over to yell at me. I glanced in her direction again to see her standing with her hands on her hips huffing at me. Yeah, she would be over here in a few seconds. As I took another bite I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned to face Molly I feigned a surprised expression. "Oh Molly, we were just talking about you." She stamped her foot angrily.

"I know you're ignoring me! But come on! I want to show you something." She tugged on my jacket.

"That's nice and all, but I think you are being rude to my friend." Molly froze and finally noticed Roark seated across the table.

"Oh don't mind me. I'm merely hiding." Roark grinned at Molly, who only looked mortified. "I'm Roark, a friend of Elliot's. And you are?"

"I'm Molly. His sister." Molly was blushing and I shook my head.

"Well Molly, don't let me keep you I need to be going. There's the person I'm hiding from heading this way." Roark stood and walked off in the opposite direction faster than the waitress could say you forgot to pay.

"I'll get it, he only got a drink so its fine." I passed the money to her with instructions to keep the change and turned back to Molly, "Okay, what did you want to show me?" I'd have to stop by a corner store and pick up a pack of cigarettes on the way whether Molly liked it or not.


	3. A Child's Blame

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

Chapter 3

Much to Molly's disgust, I puffed happily on a cigarette as she pulled me through the crowd of festivities. I was so relieved to have my cancer stick that I hadn't even noticed that she had stopped and I walked right into her. "Elliot! Pay attention you stupid smoker!" I glared at her darkly.

"I was enjoying myself, so you'd better have a good reason for dragging me out here." With another long stress relieving drag I dropped the butt on the ground and stepped on it. My head was feeling a lot better which made it easier not to snap at her." She spun franticly and pointed to Payton standing next to a tent with a polished wooden counter. I strode over to Payton and sighed, "What did you do?" I must have had a really angry expression on my face because she jumped and couldn't meet my eyes.

"W-what? I didn't… I didn't do anything Elliot." That sounded very suspicious. I turned back to Molly and raised my brow. Something was going on here and I wasn't sure I was going to like it. Molly was fidgeting and studiously avoiding my gaze as well. My eye twitched.

"What. Did. You. Do?" The sound of someone clearing their throat made me jump.

"I'm not sure exactly what's going on here sir, but these girls have done nothing wrong. I must say your behavior is what's wrong here." I turned to see an old man standing behind the counter. He looked incredibly familiar. Where had I- "Now if you are the most experienced trainer traveling with them, then I must see your trainer's license and receive your consent." I automatically reached into my pocket digging for my wallet. I stopped as soon as the worn leather touched my fingertips.

"Consent for what?" I turned back to Molly and Payton frowning darkly.

"For permission to raise an egg of course." My eye twitched again. "Each year at this festival the daycare brings the unwanted eggs to give to trainers with only one requirement. The trainer must have had their license for 3 months, or have an adult present to sign for them." Surely this was a joke. I looked back at the pleading eyes and decided that it wasn't. A thoughtful look crossed my face, this could be a good learning experience for them both. I hadn't raised an egg before, but how hard could it be? I pulled out my wallet and passed the old man my license. He checked it and nodded. "Do you have any experience with eggs?"

"No, I've only held one for a friend for a couple of hours." And I hadn't moved more than 2 feet.

"Well, it isn't too complicated. Make sure it stays warm, but not too warm. Body temperature should be ok. Don't drop it and try to prevent shaking it about." I nodded, so no hokey pokey for the eggs. "Once it's ready to hatch you'll know it. Step up to the counter and I'll see if I can find the right pokémon egg for you." Molly and Payton practically appeared next to me and I sighed. The old man disappeared into the tent behind the counter while we waited in silence. A quick glance at the girls revealed them to be excited beyond anything I had ever seen. Was this really such a big deal?

"I wonder what I'll get. I hope it's cooler than yours, Elliot." Molly grinned up at me wickedly and I shrugged. She scowled. "Don't be mad when my egg is cooler." I didn't show any sign of responding and she started again. "Don't get ma-" The Daycare man appeared from the back and walked up to the counter.

"You were quite simple to choose an egg for." He passed a cream colored egg into my arms and smiled. It was about the size of a football and weighed about ten pounds. I probably wasn't going to enjoy carrying this around for a long time. The old man examined Molly and Payton before disappearing again murmuring under his breath.

"It's a lot bigger than I expected." Payton was looking up at my egg carefully. "Is it really okay for me to carry an egg around? What if I drop it?"

"Don't worry you won't drop it and I'm sure the pokémon center can heal them just like our pokémon in their pokeballs." Molly was smiling brightly while she watched for the daycare man's return. The daycare man telling us not to drop them made me think otherwise.

"Just try not to drop it." I frowned was he really going to take forever? He reappeared just as I thought that and he passed a pink egg to Payton.

"This egg is a little different. You don't need to worry about it being too cold, but rather too warm. Body heat is still fine, but try not to smother it." Payton nodded and held the egg away from her chest with a look of uncertainty in her eyes. "Now you" ,he leaned closer to Molly and narrowed his eyes. "I think…" He turned and disappeared once again.

"Why do I have to go last? It's not fair." Molly stamped her foot, I was going to break that foot if she didn't stop that. I knelt down and carefully showed the egg to Dakheel. I watched him for any signs of mischief as he sniffed the egg. He sat and looked at it for a long moment and then looked at me with a look that clearly said, 'and what am I supposed to do with this?' I shook my head and stood back up. I scratched behind his horns with my free hand while the daycare man gave Molly a reddish brown egg. They were all about the same size, but the different colors were interesting. Now, with eggs in hand I had one more question.

"Hey old man, about how long does it take an egg to hatch?" He looked at me with a bright grin.

"Ah, but that is the fun of caring for an egg. The excitement of waiting. I will tell you that they all won't hatch at the same time. I'm not sure exactly which will hatch first or last. Enjoy them, they will be more devoted to you than you can imagine." He waved us off and we made our way through the streets towards the pokémon center. I held the egg up to my ear and frowned. I couldn't hear anything, nor did it feel like it was moving. Only time will tell. With eggs in hand, we made our way through the crowds to the pokémon center across the city.

The pokémon center was packed. I knew before we had even gotten to the counter that there were no rooms available. The Nurse informed us that we were welcome to sleep in the lobby like the thirty or so other people, we just had to be out of the center area in case an injured pokémon needed help. A trainer didn't need to trip over sleeping people when their pokémon was hurt. I glanced around there weren't many spots to choose from, so I picked a spot against the wall near the bathrooms. I easily spread out my sleeping bag one handed and sat on it with my egg in my lap. Molly and Payton struggled with theirs and resorted to kicking them open to keep firm holds on their precious cargo. "Have you two eaten? There are some vending machines in the corner if you haven't." Before I had finished my sentence Molly and Payton were at the machines going over the selection. I looked at the egg in my lap for a long moment. Was I going to regret this?

When the girls returned they called out their pokémon and passed snacks to them. I frowned the pokémon were eating like they were starving. I scowled. "So, what did you two eat while you were out and about?"

"We had these great fried… uh what were they? I don't know, but it was fried and on a stick. I think I had about four of those." My scowl deepened and Molly looked at me for a long moment. "Is something wrong?"

"What did you feed your pokémon who I asked you to feed _first_?" The girls looked at each other suddenly very guilty. "We just kinda… forgot."

"I'm sorry." Payton seemed to fold in upon herself as she passed the rest of her snacks to her two pokémon. Olivia seemed to be glaring daggers at Payton and then at me as if it was my fault.

"You forgot. What if I forgot to feed you?" I was very annoyed. Why was it difficult to put people dependant on you first? I shook my head. They both looked very guilty and that was a good sign. Neither Molly nor Payton would forget again. My last worry was the cat pokémon that was ready to claw me for Payton's mistake. I sighed and got up to walk over to the counter leaving the egg on my sleeping bag.

"Nurse Jackie, do you have any kind of pokémon food behind the counter?" She nodded and reached behind the counter placing a jar in front of me. "I need three more." She frowned and got them for me.

"Perhaps you should have thought about feeding them while you ate. Someone your age should know that already." I could feel her glaring daggers into my back as I passed the food down to the miserably silent girls. I settled the egg back into my lap and sat in the uncomfortable atmosphere. This was certainly odd. I was supposed to be the miserable one.

"Did you go by the gym to leave a request?"

"A what?" That answered my question.

"When a trainer wants to challenge the gym leader they leave a request with the secretary. That way the gym leader knows that he or she should be at the gym. Otherwise you are just hoping there's time for you in the gym leader's schedule." I stood again with egg in hand I made my way to the door.

"You aren't mad at me are you?" Molly had never sounded more uncertain.

"I'm not the one you need to worry about." I strode out into the dark night. I circled around the side of the pokémon center and fished into my pocket for my cigarettes and lighter. I popped one into my mouth and tried my lighter. A gust of wind blew out my flame before I could quite get it to catch. I scowled around my cigarette and tried again turning my back to the wind. The wind blew again, but I had already gotten my cigarette to light so I didn't really care too much. I leaned against the wall comfortably and stared at the sky. **Smack!** My cigarette fell from my lips and my hand flew to my stinging cheek. A young blonde woman was glaring at me as she ground her foot onto my fallen cigarette. I opened and closed my mouth a few times. "Hey! What was that for?"

"It's disgusting smokers like you that are ruining the world for pokémon." My mouth opened and closed a few more times. "I suggest you drop this nasty habit of yours. Next time I won't be so kind." I sputtered angrily.

"_Kind_! You call a slap in the face _kind_? You must be some kind of crazy as-"

"I'll be taking this as well." She plucked my lighter from my fisted hand easily. "You really should rethink picking up harmful habits." She turned and strode away as quickly as she came. _What a bitch!_ I still had my smokes sure… but my lighter was kind of important! Who is she to tell me what I can and cannot do? She isn't my mother, and I barely listen to her as it is. I rubbed my temples darkly. I needed to calm down there had to be a solution. I tapped the pack against my forehead and it hit me. I looked at the cigarettes and grinned. I strode back around the building and whistled into the lobby. It only took a moment for Dakheel to appear beside me.

"I know you don't want to do this, but could you light this for me?" I leaned down holding my cigarette towards him carefully. He examined it carefully before puffing out smoke and then a small fireball. I looked at the glowing ember on the end and popped the cigarette in my mouth. "Thank you Dakheel." I sat on the ground next to him and scratched him affectionately. Before long my cigarette was out and I was just sitting with him in a companionable silence. How long had it been since I had a moment to just sit? I started to check my watch, but it was too dark to see its face. I shook my head and used the wall to help me stand. Dakheel shook out his fur and followed me inside.

Nearly everyone was asleep and the large digital clock behind the counter said 1:30. I raised my brows, had I really been outside that long? I slipped into my sleeping bag and placed the egg against my stomach. I don't move much in my sleep so it should be ok. Dakheel made himself comfortable behind me. I closed my eyes and was asleep almost instantly.

I woke up later than usual because I had been up so late. The morning chatter of the other trainers pulled me from a pleasant dream involving a nicotine fairy. I rubbed my head and looked around. Dakheel was still sleeping, which was normal. The girls were sitting at a nearby table having breakfast with their pokémon eating nearby. I started to get up, but a lump in my sleeping bag stopped me. "Wha- oh." The egg. I had forgotten about it. I pulled it out and looked it over. It looked okay, it was safe to assume that I didn't roll on it. I leaned the egg against Dakheel carefully and watched to see if he would wake up. When he didn't stir I turned and rolled up my sleeping bag. Once it was safely stowed away I picked up the egg and recalled Dakheel. It was best to leave him alone when I was in public.

The breakfast bar was picked over and I grabbed two large plates and walked to the packs. I released Analise, Lennox, and Quinn. I passed out food for each of them and ate a little myself. I watched them eat and knew that Dakheel would not be pleased that I left him out of breakfast, but I would bring something for him when we left and it was safe to wake him. Analise finished first and ambled over to examine the egg in my lap. "This is going to be our newest team member." She looked up at me and then circled trying to see the egg more closely. I held it out and she examined it closely. From the corner of my eye a blue blur made me pull the egg closer to my chest and Lennox streaked by landing on the floor nearby. He spun around and crouched, his tail whipping side to side as he stared at the egg.

"New team member yes, new play toy… no." This didn't seem to faze the Luxio in the least. Quinn dove in behind the cat and smacked Lennox with his wings sharply. Lennox spun and pounced nearly managing to land a hit on the bird pokémon. I held out Lennox's pokeball and recalled him. I didn't need a pokémon center disaster on my plate.

"Elliot, what are the chances of the gym leader being in?" I turned to see Molly with a piplup in one arm and an egg in the other.

"Well, considering you didn't say you were here to the secretary, pretty slim. However, it doesn't hurt to check." I turned to Payton who was gathering her things and getting ready to leave. "How long until you two are ready?" They both shrugged.

"I dunno, maybe fifteen minutes?" Payton said as she stuffed her things into her backpack.

"Yeah, I guess fifteen minutes is good." Molly hesitated and looked down at Czar. "That should be enough time to give a pep talk or something."

"I'll be outside. Just come out when you're ready." I cleaned up my pokémon's breakfast and grabbed an extra muffin for a certain houndoom. Once outside I called out Dakheel and looked at him. He was awake and I was very surprised. "Well then, would you like more than a muffin? We're still close to the breakfast bar." He snorted and accepted his breakfast. I made a mental note to give him a bigger lunch. I grabbed my cigarettes and froze, my lighter. That woman from last night stole it. Which means I can't have cigarettes, unless Dakheel is willing to light them for me. I was sure he would not want to after I put him in his pokeball. It didn't hurt to ask. I leaned down once again and asked him to light another cigarette. He looked at me for a long moment before lighting the stick before him. "Thank you again, Dakheel." I puffed happily until I heard the door swoosh open. I turned to see Molly and Payton looking ready to go. "Alright then, let's get a move on."

"Elliot, is challenging a gym leader difficult?" I thought about it for a long moment.

"That depends. Is your pokémon ready for it? Do you have a type advantage? What is your strategy? Gym leaders know what they are doing and it's their job to teach young trainers by beating them to a pulp." I was aware the last bit was unnecessary, but I felt like this day was starting off too positive and something was about to go horribly wrong.

The trek through the dusty Oreburgh City had me remembering my childhood. This place never changed in all the years I've visited it. The only thing that ever changed was the young faces that were crushed by Roark. Molly's chances of winning were really good. She had battled a few times against trainers on the road, so she is used to giving commands. The only difference is the atmosphere. The large grey gym loomed above us. Its slate walls seemed more foreboding than the last time I entered. I strode forward and opened the solid wood door waving the girls inside.

"Are you sure?" A familiar red head was leaning against the secretary's desk lightly. "I guess I'll just have to head to the mine then." He turned and his face went from a frown to a bright and sunny smile as soon as he saw us enter. "Ah Elliot and little Molly! I was wondering when I would see you in here." He adjusted his hard hat with a smile. I caught a glimpse of Molly's face and it was as red as a tomato. I wasn't sure I was cruel enough to tell her that it wasn't meant to be. I would leave that subject for another time.

"You knew we were coming?" Molly was still blushing like mad, but she was at least able to form sentences.

"Well, I saw Elliot yesterday and he mentioned you were working on your own pokémon league challenge." Roark turned back to the secretary and murmured something to her before turning back to us.

"I didn't mention that." I raised a brow.

"Ah, but why _else_ would a young person like herself be in Oreburgh?" He had a point. I shrugged lightly and nodded.

"Touché."

"So, is the gym leader in? I would really like to challenge him." Molly was radiating nervousness. Roark looked straight at me with a raised brow.

"It never came up." I muttered.

"I see! Well then, shall we head on into the arena?" He lead the way through a short hallway and motioned towards a door with spectators carved into a wooden board above it. He looked at me and said, "Spectators." Payton nodded and stepped through the door. I started to go but Molly grabbed my sleeve in a white knuckled grip.

"Would it be alright if I watched from the arena floor?" I asked him as I tried to free my sleeve from Molly's death grip.

"It won't be a problem, but you cannot help her. No items and no advice, okay? If you can't do that, you wait outside." I nodded. That was fair. "Alright then, are you ready Molly?" She barely nodded and pulled me along as she followed him stiffly into the open room of the arena. He pointed at a raised platform a few yards away. "You wait there, and your battle will commence shortly." He walked into a door that opened under the spectator's booth and closed the door behind him.

"So, the gym leader is in that room." I nodded he _certainly_ was. "Anything I should know about him? Anything at all?"

"You'll be fine, it's just another trainer battle." The door opened and Roark emerged jogging down the twenty yards to the other side of the arena. He climbed up on the platform and adjusted his gloves. "Why is he-"

"As the challenged I, Roark the Oreburgh Gym Leader, choose the battle style. Fair enough?" Molly nodded stiffly. I frowned, she'd better not pass out. "We'll start this off easy, a one versus one match. Match ends when a pokémon is unable to battle. Are you prepared challenger Molly?"

"Y-yes. I'm ready. I think." Who was up on that podium? Molly always charged in head first. Oh well, she can always try again if she loses.

"Let's go Geodude." Roark called out his pokémon and I frowned. He can tell she's nervous and is testing her.

"Okay, Czar we can do this." Molly was still shaking as her piplup jumped from the platform to the arena. "Elliot, can you hold this for me?" She turned quickly and held out her egg and I took it with as little contact as possible. I didn't want to give Roark any reason to think I was helping. "Okay Czar, use bubble." Her voice was shaking and her hands gripped the rail in a white knuckled grip.

"Hah, child's play. Geodude dodge and use rock polish." Roark's geodude slammed its fists into the floor and hurled itself out of the way of the bubbles that Czar had blown its way. It crossed its arms over its face and seemed to concentrate.

"Czar, use pound." She was starting to gain her confidence again as her piplup sprang across the field raising a wing in preparation to strike. Roark's geodude opened its eyes and grinned, all of the rough edges on its body seemed to disappear and smooth over.

"Surely you didn't think that move would do much of anything. Geodude put some distance between you and use Rock Throw." Once again the Geodude hurled itself and this time he moved nearly twice as fast through the air. I raised my brows, how would Molly deal with this? Geodude reached down and grabbed a rock and chucked it viciously at the poor penguin. Before Czar could recover from the first rock another slammed him backwards a few feet. "Geodude, use tackle." Piplup stumbled and looked up at Molly seeming to beg for a command as the geodude slammed into him. I looked up at Molly, she was staring at Roark completely terrified. I looked over at him, he didn't look so scary to me. I frowned darkly, what was causing her to freeze like this? Another tackle sent a tired Czar flying and I looked up at Molly fiercely.

"Mo-" I stopped. I can't help her. I had to follow his rules. I was shaking in anger. Why was this any different from before?

"Geodude, tackle again." Czar was too tired to even try to defend itself. Geodude slammed into him squarely and sent him flying directly into Molly's chest throwing them both backwards off of the platform.

"Molly!" I ran around to see her slowly sitting up breathing like she had been… hit in the chest by a flying penguin. "Are you alright?" She glared daggers at me. What did I do now?

"Why didn't you help me? This is all your fault Elliot!" Wait what? "If you hadn't pushed me to go to the gym, then I wouldn't have been so…" She stood and recalled Czar cuddling his pokeball carefully. She was crying and I couldn't bring myself to care.

"My fault? Oh really. You said this is what you wanted. _You_ never said you weren't ready. How the _hell_ is this my fault!" A firm hand on my shoulder stopped me there.

"I am sorry, go heal your pokémon and do some training. You can come back as soon as you're ready." He turned to me a sharp look in his eye. "Elliot, I know you can be an asshole, but that was uncalled for." What was he even- "She's a child, _of course_ she is going to be afraid and _of course_ she will blame others for her mistakes. What's important here is that _you_ know to be an adult and how to act like one." I scowled darkly. "Get out of my gym until you can act your age." I turned on my heel and left without another word.

Molly was surely heading for the pokémon center, so I went in the opposite direction to find a nice quiet spot to sit. A bench on a deserted road seemed almost perfect for my mood at the moment. Dakheel sat next to me silently, I had forgotten that he was even here. I put my head in my hands. Okay, I lost my temper, but Roark didn't have to freak the fuck out. I grabbed my new pack of cigarettes and pulled one out for Dakheel to light. He lit it without complaint and I puffed furiously. Sure, she was mad, but did she have to leave me with her egg? It was bad enough carrying around one football. I didn't need two. I wasn't sure how long I sat there on that bench, but before long Payton appeared in front of me.

"Uhm, Molly said that she doesn't want you tainting her egg and to give it to me." I passed her my sister's egg. "She's still crying." I raised a brow.

"Well, when she can stop being a baby, we'll talk."

"I thought you were a nicer person." Payton strode off with the egg tightly in her arms. I sagged back into the bench and shook my head. I don't get it. Molly can scream and cry, but if I say anything I get all the shit aimed at me. _She's a child._ Yeah… she's a spoiled child. I reached into my pack and pulled out my last cigarette. I frowned, hadn't I just had nearly twenty cigarettes? I sighed and held it out to Dakheel. In the next moment my knuckles were burning. I dropped the charred excuse for a cigarette and pulled my hand to my chest biting back a yell. I looked at my hand, my knuckles were burned pretty badly. The back of my hand and half of my fingers were an angry red color. I looked at Dakheel for a long moment. I couldn't bring myself to be angry, only guilty.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been using you as a glorified lighter." I hung my head again and fought to stand up and get my things without using my injured hand. Dakheel followed along my side seemingly happy that I had learned my lesson. What an evil dog. I was about halfway down the road when I saw Payton and Molly walking into the mine. Hand throbbing viciously I turned after them.

I followed them down into the mine and moved quietly, because the echo would give me away and I am sure I'm the last person that they want to see right now. They weren't talking at all as they moved deeper into the mine. I frowned slightly unsure of why I was even doing this, but continued after them.

"You know. I don't know why he yelled at me like that." Molly muttered.

"Well, you did start it Molly."

"Why are you taking his side Payton?"

"I'm not, it's just it didn't seem fair. Why can you pitch a fit, but he can't?" I frowned, she was surprisingly mature for her age. However, I do not approve of her terminology. I did not 'pitch a fit.'

"But, it was his fault!" I heard Molly stamp her foot. They had stopped moving and I was beginning to wonder why they were even down here. As their argument continued I couldn't take it anymore and decided to stop her right there.

"How about this, we stop fighting so we can get to the root of the problem." I stepped around the corner. Molly went ridged and glared at me. "Yes, I know, you can keep on shooting the 'I hate you' glare, but it doesn't change the fact that you froze up and weren't able to give any commands." I crossed my arms and winced when my hand slid against my jacket sleeve.

"I don't need you to come and laugh at me." Molly snapped.

"There's nothing to laugh about. I'll help you train a bit with speedy pokémon and we try again tomorrow, _if_ you won't decide I'm to blame for all of your life's problems." Molly bit her lip still not wanting to accept help. "I will also mention he won't go easy on you next time." Her eyebrows knit together and she didn't answer for a long moment.

"Fine." We spent the next hour working with piplup's bubble attack. It was effective, but very slow. Lennox was very happy to sprint circles around the penguin desperately trying to shoot him with bubbles. In that hour his bubbles began to move a bit faster and were slowly growing more accurate. It was another half hour after that when Lennox received the first bubble to his back legs. He growled and changed up his running cycle and Czar was once again at square one. Fighting to keep up with the speedy Luxio. I shifted and grimaced when my hand slid against my pant leg. "Ah! Elliot what's wrong with your hand?" Molly pointed at my hand and I held up my right hand and examined it carefully.

"I don't see anything wrong."

"Don't be stupid! Your other hand." Molly looked genuinely worried.

"That looks really serious Elliot, you should probably see a doctor." Payton was looking at my hand with a slightly disgusted look on her face. I looked at it for the first time in nearly an hour and a half and was a little surprised to see it blistering pretty badly.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that." I set down my bag and pulled out a diskette and pressed it into Molly's hands. "For that Abra of yours. Whatever her name was." She didn't yell the name after me as I left, but I didn't care. I needed a doctor.

I was at the pokémon center in a matter of minutes. The lobby was deserted which was good, because Nurse Jackie was free. I cleared my throat when I walked up to the counter. "You wouldn't happen to have a first aid kit would you?" She looked me over for a moment and I put my burned hand on the counter.

"Oh my. Come to this side of the counter." She walked over and lifted a bar allowing me to slip to the business side of the counter. She motioned over to a chair and turned on a faucet dragging my hand under the water. The cool water stung viciously and I had to fight the urge to wrench my hand away. In the bright lights of the pokémon center I could now examine it more closely. My hand was incredibly swollen. "Sit here and keep your hand under the water if you can. I need to step in the back because there's a pokémon in critical condition. So, sit tight." I nodded and made myself as comfortable as possible with the egg situated in my lap leaning against my chest. I must have dozed off, because my hand was dry next to a faucet running water and a large drool spot was on the arm of my jacket. I wiped my mouth and put my throbbing hand back under the water and looked around. A chansey was tending to the counter and healing the pokémon that weren't seriously injured with a machine not far from me. I looked at the clock, it was dinner time.

"Excuse me, Chansey? Can you get the nurse for me if she isn't busy?" She nodded and scurried through the back door. Chansey reappeared with the Nurse following behind. She looked absolutely shocked at the sight of me.

"I'm so sorry! I completely forgot you were up here! How is your hand?"

"Better. It hurts a bit."

"Can I ask what happened?"

"I was doing so some training with my houndoom and the fire got a little out of control." She shot me a look like she didn't believe it. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

"Well, I hate to say this, but it's not likely to ever stop hurting." I frowned at that.

"What are you talking about? It's just a burn."

"A houndoom owner that doesn't know?" She shook her head and my frown deepened. "When burned by a houndoom's flame the pain will never fade." I scowled darkly that's just what I needed, more complications.

"Well, that sucks." All because of one too many cigarettes.


End file.
